March 24, 2008

Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Received $1 Million Grant for Economic
Development

Prior Lake, Minnesota - A $1,000,000 grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is helping the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma with economic development. The grant was used to purchase Indian City USA, three miles south of Anadarko, Oklahoma. Of the grant, $600,000 was used for the purchase and $400,000 for development.

The purchase included 200 acres of land on which wild game (bison, llama, deer, antelope, and turkey) roam as well as ceremonial grounds important to the tribe. The land also houses a museum, gift shop, campground, swimming pool, and reconstructed authentic native dwellings. In operation for more than 50 years under its previous ownership, Indian City USA serves as a vast outdoor museum to provide visitors with a historically accurate series of reconstructed American Indian villages. Open year round, Indian City USA attracts visitors from around the world.

Guided walking tours are offered five time daily covering half a mile. During the tour visitors see a Kiowa plains style tipi, Wichita grass lodges, a Pawnee earth lodge, a Navajo hogan, and an Apache brush shape wickiup. Each village is a reconstruction of an authentic native village which provides insight into the daily routine, religious beliefs, and social life of the Native Americans from various regions of the southwest.

The Kiowa purchased the property on February 22, 2008, and continued operations seamlessly under the new name Indian USA Cultural Center. Though open daily since the purchase, the Grand Opening won’t be celebrated until May 17-18, 2008. Development plans for the site are to plant native culturally relevant vegetation, pave the walking trail, expand the museum, renovate the campground, provide internet purchase for gift shop items, and refurbish the village dwellings.

“Seven tribes live in this community and they are all very supportive,” said Indian USA Cultural Center Director and Kiowa Tribal member Modina Walters.

For more than 50 years the land was used for ceremonies, prayer, and cultural celebrations.

“We thank the Shakopee for allowing us to keep these ceremonial grounds,” Water said. She explained that without help from the SMSC the land was in danger of being lost to housing development.

The Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma has a membership of 12,000. In May 2007 the Kiowa opened their first gaming enterprise, Kiowa Casino.